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Midewin Location and Visiting

Diverse restored habitat at the Initiative's previous Blodgett Road project.

Located 60 miles south of downtown Chicago, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie offers critically important recreational opportunities for the metropolitan region. Midewin is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The Forest Service's Midewin Welcome Center is located 2 miles north of Wilmington on State Route 53. It can also be accessed via exit 241, Wilmington, off of I-55.

Portions of Midewin are already open to the public for hiking, bird-watching, horseback-riding, and other activities, attracting approximately 5,000 visitors a year.

In some areas, visitors can hike where waving grasses and wildflowers stretch to the horizon, and experience the surreal sight of abandoned concrete Army bunkers amid the prairie.

Driving Directions:

Map to Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie pdfpdf

Click here to visit the U.S. Forest Service's Midewin website for directions to the Welcome Center and other points of interest.

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Mission Statement

The Wetlands Initiative is  dedicated to restoring the wetland resources of the Midwest to improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat and biodiversity, and reduce flood damage.